People have been using variations of toothbrushes for thousands of years. It is believed some of the early toothbrushes were devised by Egyptians and were made from wood which was softened so the individual fibers separated to form individual "bristles". The wood fibers were subsequently replaced by animal fibers. In the 1930's Dupont developed nylon. Bristles made from nylon replaced the animal fiber bristles.
As man traveled more there developed a need for "traveling toothbrush". One of the early accessories for the "traveling toothbrush" was a vented case into which the toothbrush could be placed. Vented cases provided two functions. The case kept the wet bristles away from surrounding objects while allowing the brush to dry, avoiding mold and mildew. These cases varied in style and design. Some designs enclosed the total toothbrush, while other designs covered only the the portion of the toothbrush having the bristles.
Another approach to isolate the wet "traveling toothbrush" has been provided by the Oral-B toothbrush. This brush has a two piece handle. A first piece has a vented cavity while a second piece has a brush end. When the toothbrush is in use the first piece attaches to the second piece and extends the handle. When stored the brush end is placed n the hollow vented cavity of the first piece.
An alternative to having a detachable vented hollow handle piece was to have the toothbrush fold into a vented handle as the blade of a jackknife folds into a slot in its handle. The slot into which the toothbrush folds provided additional venting.
While the above illustrations of handles and traveling cases offered partial solutions to the "traveling toothbrush", there is still the problem of what to do about the toothpaste. U.S. Pat. No. 4,692,047 is an example of a toothbrush that has toothpaste stored in the handle of the toothbrush and which employes a pump mechanisms contained in the handle to extrude the toothpaste onto the bristles of the brush.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,897,139 entitled: DISPOSABLE TOOTHBRUSH ASSEMBLY teaches a disposable toothbrush having a head which attaches to a handle. The toothpaste is stored in the toothbrush head. The handle inserts into the head and serves as a plunger to extrude the toothpaste into a central channel located in the center of the brush. While the '139 patent rids the traveler of the toothpaste tube the traveler is still left with a two component system; brush and handle.
Since a number of people eat away from home and there is increased concern for dental hygiene there is a need for a "traveling toothbrush" which is a sealed self-contained compact toothbrush toothpaste system suitable for carrying in one's pocket or purse without worry of discharge.